The Past Life Trauma disc turned out really cool – did you enjoy putting it together?
Yeah, we definitely did this time.  The labels have already released two other compilations, which we weren't happy with.  The first two were put together without us involved, and this time we were.  We got to put in the lyrics, rare tracks and old photo material, which was a lot of fun.

The booklet and everything is very nicely done.
Yeah, it is very interesting for people who don't know about the band, they get to see how the band came together and see early photos that haven't been released before.

How do you feel about the older material now listening to it again?
It was definitely an experience and influences us for some of the new record. We haven't really listened to the old material that much, we were always concerned with coming out with new things and new ways of defining our sound.  Listening to the old material again was very inspiring for writing of the new material.

I really liked the live version of "Winter Martyrium" on there.  Have you ever planned to do a full-on live album at some point? 
We definitely have, but the thing is every time we ask our labels to release a live record, they say the fans don't want a live record.  Which I think is wrong.  It doesn't make sense to me that they release compilation albums all over the place, but they don't want to release live records, where we would have the opportunity to come up with brand new versions of those songs.  I think that would be very interesting, instead of releasing three compilation records.  (laughs)  It's strange, man.  I always wanted to do a live record, but it never happens.  Someday, though - I have hope.

Tell me a little about the new album. 
The next record is going to be called Violent Revolution and, like I said earlier, the song writing is very heavy and very fast.  It picks up where Coma of Souls ended, in a way, with a more modern sound and more direct lyrics.  It's like using the experience from our previous three records and putting it into a new album.

What exactly do you mean by the lyrics are more 'direct' this time?
It's a whole concept, about how you drown when you're living in a big city and how the individual gets lost within the society, where everything is only focused on material wealth and consuming and career.  Stuff that, in my opinion is very unhealthy for the human mind and the spirit of the world.  What we did for this record, we linked all the songs together.  The Violent Revolution is not like attacking a government or something, it's just about being able to change and if you don't change, you do it in a violent way.  You force yourself to become a new individual and progress, in your spirit.

More of a personal revolution then.
Yeah, definitely, that's what I meant.  I'm very happy with the lyrics and the way it all came together, I think its going to be a very heavy record.

I’ve heard that there were some line-up shuffles since the last album – what is the current line-up looking like?
We have a new guitar player and Ventor (drummer) is back in the band.  We have Sami from Finland on guitar.  In the past, I wrote most of the songs anyway, and the guitar player in the band has always had the job to come up with some melodies over my riffs and inspire me and inspire the songs, add something to the songs.  I think Sami does a very, very good job on the record.  What we also rediscovered is guitar solos - you'll be surprised by how many guitar solos are on the new record. (laughs)  I'm serious!  When you listen to Endorama and Outcast, there are hardly any and this time there are some very nice solos and cool guitar licks.

Last time I talked to you, you said you would probably self-produce your next album.
Was that around the time of Endorama?

Yeah.
No, we haven't, we have worked with Andy Sneap, who produced Testament and Nevermore, and I think he did a great job.  I'm really happy with the production.  Andy really produced the record, if you know what I mean.  Producing in the sense of getting the best out of the band and coming up with cool ideas for sounds and stuff.

Can we expect a US tour this time around?
The thing is, for us, it is very expensive to come to the States.  Right now, we are planning on coming in November or December.  We have some offers to possibly tour there with a band called Primal Fear, but we have to see how things are going to work out.  There is a big possibility, because we are on a new label, SPV, and they really want to support the record, they want to get us to the States.

What do you do to keep yourself entertained when you’re on tour?
Reading and taking a look at the cities.  We always try to visit the cultural places in the cites we play at, go see the nice spots of the city.

Did you always think you’d make music your career?
It just happened. (laughs)  It started out as entertainment, something to do in my spare time, and it still is.  I take it very serious and enjoy it a lot and put a lot of work into it, it's all I do, you know?  But as soon as I would lose the enjoyment in it, I would not do it anymore.

At what point did you realize that Kreator had become an institution, a major influence on a lot of up-and-coming bands?
When we got the Tribute to Kreator record, it was kind of exciting for me.  Being in the band that has a tribute record for the band, that is pretty cool. (laughs)  But then again, you don't really think about those things.  It makes me proud in a way.  It's cool and I like to check out cover version of our band or if someone says, 'This band sounds just like you in your early days,' I definitely check them out.  There have been a couple of great bands, especially from Sweden, that have been influenced by us and we get inspired by them.  A band like At the Gates, for example, I like their music a lot and it inspires me as well.  It's an exchange of ideas.

Was it difficult to keep your voice in shape in the early days?
It wasn't in shape.  I think what I did in the early days was more of an uncontrolled way of singing, of performing.  I wasn't really aware of what I was doing, where nowadays I can play with things.  On the new record, I kind of combine both vocal styles.  There are two songs where I do the vocal style from Endorama, but most of the times it is like old style.  But then for some strange parts where I want the music to be more psychedelic and the lyrics to be more direct, I go to the other voice, so I can switch and make it more interesting.

You've done some really cool covers over the years, like "Grinder" and "Lucretia (My Reflection)."  What is it generally about a song that makes you want to cover it?
Sometimes we get invited to play on a tribute record, like the Priest and Venom tributes.  Then the Raven thing came about just because we thought it would be cool to show where our influences came from at that time, the NWOBHM.  We recorded half of a version of "Hells Bells" for this new record, but we haven't finished it. (laughs)  It's only drums and bass, maybe we'll work on that in the future.

Do you keep up much on what is happening the music world at large or are you too busy with Kreator?
I definitely do.  I listen to a lot of metal and anything from electro music to…whatever.  I like mostly metal and always keep track of what is going on.  There have been some very good releases in the past few years - the new Nevermore record, the Warhammer record is pretty cool.

Do you have any long term plans or goals for Kreator?
Not really.  (laughs)  We'll keep doing it.  I can't plan things in advance, we never do that; we just do it.  The next thing for me is to work on the cover of the record, then I'm going to go talk to SPV about how they are going to promote the record, then we'll play some festivals, and then go on tour.  We keep busy.